Wayman, a senior, emerged from the Josh Davis Natatorium pool Feb. 9 as the gold medalist in the 100 backstroke, turning in a personal best 58.04 to top a 58.21 performance turned in by runner-up Churchill'sDavina James.

Wayman will be joined at the state meet by Clemens' Jonathan Lang, who will swim in the 200 individual medley in the Class 4A meet. Lang finished third in the Feb. 9 regional meet at Palo Alto College.

Wayman is no stranger to the state meet, having been a part of Judson's 200 medley relay team in her freshman and sophomore years. Having also competed in the 100 butterfly (finishing sixth), the 200 medley relay (sixth) and the 400 freestyle relay (did not place), Wayman said qualifying for state in the 100 back “is what I've been planning on all year long.”

Wayman entered regionals with the third-best time in the 100 back, although she said that may have been a bit deceptive. “I was seeded third ... but I wasn't tapered (at district). The other girls had had their bests at district, were already tapered, so they could advance,” Wayman said.

Tapering is a swimming term that refers to a reduction in swim practice and exercise, allowing the swimmer to replenish and rejuvenate the body over a given time frame.

“You have so much more energy,” Wayman said of her tapering and starting her race. But once the gun sounded to start the race, the competition heated up.

“The first 50 and 75 (meters), it was all neck and neck. But at the turn for the last 25, that's when I came out ahead,” she said. “But I still had the feeling, 'I'd better pick it up.'”

She touched the wall in 58.04, just 0.17 ahead of James.

“You touch the wall and hope that you gave enough,” she said. “The first thing I did was turn to look at the scoreboard, to see how I did.”

Wayman was pleased with what she saw. “I was thinking, I hope that's 'my' time. And then it was relief, because I've been so close so many other times.”

The 58.04 is more than one-tenth better than the 58.18 she swam in last year's regional.

“That one-tenth of a second, that's huge. It made a huge difference, between me going or not going to state,” she said. “That tenth of a second, they say a tenth of a second is a fingernail's length – it all depends on how short you cut your fingernails.”

Wayman is seeded 14th of 16 swimmers in the 100 backstroke, but appeard undaunted, regardless. “I'm just going to go up there and give it my best shot.”

Lang was named the District 28-4A swimmer of the year after winning four gold medals in the 200 IM, 500 freestyle, 400 free relay and the 200 medley relay, leading the Buffaloes to a second-place finish at the district meet earlier this month.